"So spill, what's your plan for getting all the way up?" Chloe asked.
"I've been doing fine climbing the ranks so far." Ash said. "My plan is the same as its always been, I'm going to keep winning battles, and eventually challenge Seb again. This time I'll win." Ash reassured.
"Speaking of Seb, I know this sounds needy, but he hasn't said anything to you, has he?" Chloe asked. "I know you two were close, and he hasn't been responding to my messages again, I'm getting worried."
"Yeah, I haven't heard a thing, but I'll let you know if I hear anything." Ash lied. He still hadn't let anyone know that Seb was working with Darkrai. He wasn't sure why Seb had done that, but he wasn't going to say anything until he had all the answers. "I should get going, I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, are you sure everything's okay?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, it's all good." Ash said, backing out of the room.
Once Ash knew he was clear of Chloe, or anyone, he looked down at his phone. He could contact Seb, but he had no idea who would pick up the phone. Would it be Darkrai? Could Darkrai go through the phone to attack?
"Ash?" Serena said carefully.
"Huh! I don't know?!" Ash panicked.
"Calm down, are you feeling okay?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, great as ever, what's up?" Ash asked, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his ear.
"Well I was thinking about how Darkrai has recruited or captured all those Unown, we know they give off a unique energy signature, maybe we can track where he is through them, and get a drop on him." Serena offered.
"Doctor Hale has been trying that, so far there are too many large areas of the energy to get a good answer, and the tracking software can't go back five years to when Darkrai likely recruited them." Ash said.
"Well then what about Regidrago, you said he captured that. Maybe we can use Regieleki to compare power levels, and lower down the areas a bit." Serena added.
"Yeah, it'll only show just about every legendary out there! I don't even know if Darkrai is hiding where we can get to him! So until he shows up, we wait!" Ash shouted.
"Ash, I'm just trying to help. If you don't think those ideas will work, that's fine, but you don't need to snap at me." Serena scolded.
"Sorry, just I'm stressed with the lab still out of funding right now." Ash said. "Maybe I just need to lie down for a bit."
"You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened in the Tundra." Serena said. "Caylrex said we weren't the ones who caused it."
"Maybe not, but I still didn't send everyone home when it started." Ash sighed. "I'm responsible for the parents choosing to file these complaints and warnings."
"Just relax, we'll get through this just like every time." Serena said.
In Ash's room
"Just relax." Ash said lying down on his bed. "Happy, peaceful thoughts."
"Ash, I have an idea!" Goh shouted.
"Oh come on!" Ash complained.
"Look, I know you don't want to go public about the aura temple we found, but if we could find more, maybe we could find one with fewer skeletons, maybe even someone alive in there." Goh said.
"Goh, I'm really not in the mood." Ash said, rubbing his temples.
"Just hear me out, we search Kanto and Jhoto, in places like where that temple was, out of the way locations with lots of underground space. Just to start cataloguing the locations. Even if we go back at a later date, uncovering an ancient society would be huge, who knows what knowledge is down there, lost to time." Goh said excitedly.
"You're hoping they had a way to contact Mew, aren't you?" Ash said, blowing his bangs out of the way.
"Uh huh." Goh said excitedly.
"That's great Goh, but I really can't promise anything right now." Ash said.
"Ash, just give me your phone. The longer I wait for Seb the worse this is getting." Chloe said barging in.
"Guys, come on, just give me some space." Ash said.
"Ash we can do this, let's find a temple." Goh said.
"Ash I need your phone to text Seb for a training match so I can have some time with him." Chloe begged.
"Ash, I thought I told you to relax, why are Goh and Chloe here?!" Serena demanded.
"Ash?!"
"Ash?!"
"Ash?!"
Ash's face grew pale, as he watched the room spin, his head getting light, he collapsed on the bed.
The next day
"Ash, this seems a bit extreme." Professor Cerise said.
"Look, things are too stressful right now, so until the fundings back, I'm going back to basics with my training." Ash said. "Which means I'm going to be gone for a bit."
"Ash, you passed out, a bit of rest and relaxation is what you need." Professor Cerise urged.
"What was supposed to be rest and relaxation is what started this whole mess." Ash said.
"There's something you aren't telling me, what is it?" Professor Cerise asked.
"At the tundra, I learned something, something huge. If the team knew, it would break their spirits, and I just don't have enough proof to tell them it right now, but the longer I'm here, the harder it's getting." Ash said.
"So instead, you're quitting?" Professor Cerise questioned.
"No, I'll be in touch. Let me know once the funding is back, and I'll be on the first plane, boat, or train back here, I promise." Ash said.
"At least tell your team that you're taking. A temporary leave, they deserve that much." Professor Cerise urged.
"Of course Professor, and thank you." Ash said, exiting the office.